This invention relates to a continuous process for cleaning and drying flexible porous materials such as foam and more particularly, polyurethane foam recovered from foam containing waste streams such as automobile shredder residue. Contaminants in the foam primarily are oils and other organics as well as dirt.
Specifically, the invention relates to apparatus and system for processing the foam through a series of devices which repeatedly squeeze and release the foam to allow solvent in a washing apparatus to infiltrate the pore structure of the foam and then be mechanically squeezed therefrom a plurality of times.
In addition to which the invention includes apparatus for rinsing the cleaned foam to rid the foam of the organic solvents and thereafter to dry the foam also with repeated mechanical squeezing of the foam to reduce the amount of time the foam resides in the solvent transfer station (referred to here sometimes as a rinse station) and the dryer. Complete flow processes are disclosed for recycling and treating various waste streams from the washing station, the rinsing station, and the drying station.